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As we expected, the opening panel kicked off EASS with a spirited discussion about presentations from Ken Quinn, FSF General Counsel, and Mike Ambrose, Director General of ERA. Both embraced the call for a multi-national accident investigation board in Europe. We've distributed a press release outlining their views - it will be posted on the FSF website soon. I think it is safe to say that this will be a topic of side conversations for the rest of the conference. Everyone in the room didn't agree with this idea.

posted by Emily, at EASS in Lisbon, March 16th.

The 22nd annual European Aviation Safety Seminar kicked off Monday evening in Lisbon, Portgual. About 200 people are here for the meeting and ready for the main event to start Tuesday as the opening session kicks off at 9am. Folks are in for a bit of a surprise as the normal welcoming remarks are being supplemented with an honest look at criminalization policy in Europe.

No time like the present as the Concorde trial rolls on in France and the various aviation authorities begin to consider this issue. We'll have more about this on the FSF homepage in a few hours...

posted by Emily in the early AM on Tuesday, March 16.

CEO Bill Voss will be on Frontline tonight on PBS (WETA here in the DC area at 10pm). Check your local listings! Show is on regional airline safety. Should be interesting...

posted on 2/9

The long-awaited Concorde trial has started in France. This is not something that the Foundation thinks is a very good idea. In fact, we've been talking for years about the threat that prosecutorial activity could have on aviation safety. Check out the Criminalization Resolution on the website - it's under the Archives and Resources button/Special Reports. Here's the direct link to make it even easier....

http://flightsafety.org/files/resolution_01-12-10.pdf

So, now we have the French going after Continental. AP wrote a story yesterday and included our perspective. You can check that out here:

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/money/blame-disputed-as-concorde-crash-trialopens-205555.html

Posted by Emily, 2-2-10

Last week the Flight Safety Foundation had several busy days in Rome….conferences, high profile meetings, TV interview, and promotion of the 63rd IASS, to be held in Milan later this year, were all on the agenda for Bill Voss and Susan Lausch.

Thanks to Paolo Pettinaroli, President of the Fondazione 8 Ottobre 2001 for the many meetings and important introductions that took place last week. Voss met with the Chief of Staff of Defense, Air Force General, Vincenzo Camporini, as well as well as with the President of the Transport Committee of the Italian Government, Dr. Vannucci. Discussions revolved around issues of safety, future collaborations and official patronage from the Italian Government, for the FSF 63rd IASS, to be held in Milan in November 2010.

A visit to the Fiumicino Airport and a demonstration of airport safety operations and practices was followed by a visit to the “Square,” a memorial dedicated to the victims of the October 8, 2001 airplane crash, the largest in Italy’s history.

Voss gave a presentation at the GATE XX1 conference that was attended by very important aviation officials including the Chief of Staff of Defense. The 63rd IASS meeting received a great deal of promotion and later Voss was interviewed by AvioNews.

Voss and Lausch also had a very productive meeting with the World Food Programme (WFP) including staff of their aviation safety unit, private partnerships and legal departments, in order to pursue a formal contribution agreement between World Food Programme and Flight Safety Foundation. FSF would work very closely with WFP’s aviation safety unit to work on safety standards, improving operations, gathering expertise from around the world so that WFP can continue its important humanitarian efforts of getting food and relief to some of the most dangerous parts of the world. (Some of the folks we were to meet with were unable to join us because they had to fly out to assist with the Haitian efforts.) FSF would be recognized as a partner of this branch of the United Nations, further expanding the brand, and keeping in line with the mission of saving lives. Other collaborations including joint fundraising efforts would follow. For more information on the WFP efforts, please email lausch@flightsafety.org.

Voss is now somewhere between Taipei and Singapore, and then off again. Stay posted for more updates.

Susan Lausch   1/26/10

Bill has headed out on another one of his international trips taking him to every corner of the globe. Today he is in Italy. He just met with the Defense Minster there to talk safety issues and is on his way to the next meeting. I bet he is dining really well in Rome!

posted by Emily, January 21

Around here, we are keenly aware of the editorial talents of our publications department. If AeroSafety World isn’t on your must-read list, it should be. We are always proud when these talents are recognized outside of FSF.

So, we are extra-delighted to brag that Wayne Rosenkrans, ASW Senior Editor, received the ERA Hank McGonagle award for 2009–2010 for his article “Winter of Discontent.” That article appeared in the October 2008 issue of ASW and looked at deicing and anti-icing practices in Europe. There are lots of details about this award in our latest issue of ASW (which you should download immediately from the homepage). The direct link to this article is here.

posted by Emily — 1/7/10

The Technical Standard Team for our newly launched Basic Aviation Risk Standard project met today. It's chaired by Nick Sabatini. Looks like it's in good hands. Impressive group in our conference room!

Emily - Dec 2, 2009

We're about halfway through the 62nd annual IASS and the reviews are great! Not sure of the final number of attendees at this point, because we had plenty of folks register on site, but the room is full. It's always great when we get to recognize accomplisments in aviation safety, and IASS is the setting for many of our annual awards. Check out the media center to read about these awards.

We're all finding the hospitality to be warm among our CAAC hosts and the staff of the Shangri-La. And finally the temperatures are rising outside to something more seasonable!

posted by Emily on Thursday morning, Beijing time...

The seminar continues along with more than 300 folks here. We had a number of people register on-site and that kept Namratha and Penny jumping all day yesterday. We all tried to pitch in and help! Plenty of interesting papers have been presented a discussed so far with two more days ahead of us.

On Monday, we had the FSF Board meeting. I'm very excited to announce that the Board fo Governors elected a new Chair, Lynn Brubaker. We all spent time with her on Monday and Tuesday and are ready to get to work with her! Check out the media center on the home page to read all about her.

Of course, a new chair means accepting the resignation of our old Chair, Ed Stimpson. He dedicated so much time to the Foundation and will still be a friend to all of us in the future. Thank you, Ed!

Emily, Wednesday AM from Beijing

Unexpectedly, at least to me, there is a blizzard going in Beijing on the Sunday before IASS kicks off. Doesn't seem to be impacting arrivals as the hotel is starting to fill up. I'm starting to see some familiar faces in the lobby and hallways. They are forecasting at least 6 nches of snow today!

Emily from Beijing on Sunday...

This is a great story. Several FSF reps - Bill Voss and Board members Steve Atkins and Ken Quinn - traveled to Boise a couple of weeks ago to make the presentation of the FSF-Boeing Lifetime Achievement Award to Chairman Ed Stimpson. Here is the story in the Idaho Statesman. It really captures the day.

http://www.idahostatesman.com/life/story/948306.html

posted by Emily at 9:19 on Oct. 26

 Just made a brief stop at the National Business Aviation Association annual meeting in Orlando and found the manufacturers in that sector to be unanimous in their belief that their industry's decline stopped earlier this year and that business is slowly picking up, with an emphasis on the word "slowly." More details in next months AeroSafety World magazine.

J.A. Donoghue

Each year, the Foundation recognizes technological and innovative achievements in aviation safety with the FSF-Honeywell Bendix Trophy for Aviation Safety. I'm on my way from Orlando following the annual Honeywell briefing at NBAA. We announced the recipients of the Bendix at this briefing - it went to five members of the Strategic Projects Team in the Air Operations Division at FedEx for a new fire detection and suppression system. Head over the media center on the homepage to read the details....

Emily - October 19, from the Orlando Airport ...

Bill Voss traveled to Boise, Idaho today with FSF Board members Ken Quinn (General Counsel) and Steve Atkins (of Boeing) to present the FSF-Boeing Lifetime Achievement Award to past Chairman Ed Stimpson. Ed and his wife Dottie welcomed this crew, along with aviation and civic dignitaries from Boise, to their home for the ceremony this morning. No one who works in aviation safety isn't touched by the work of Ed. He has been involved in so many safety efforts and gives his time so generously that it only made sense to recognize his achievements with this award. The staff of FSF joins Bill, Ken and Steve in congratulating Ed Stimpson and thanking him for his many years of work as our Chairman.

-- Emily McGee, on behalf of all FSF staff...

I'm thrilled that our blog is now up and running! Between this and Twitter and Facebook, we have many ways to let you all know what we are thinking and doing. As we mentioned before, all the directors and the CEO will be blogging. Bill even gets credit for the first official entry on the blog!

I am more than a little disturbed by the news report from Airline Transport Intelligence News below:

FAA today said 30 airlines failed to respond with written commitments to use best practices as part of a "Call To Action" scheme launched by administrator Randy Babbitt earlier this year. Babbitt's requests of carriers was driven by enhanced scrutiny of US airlines following the fatal crash of a Colgan Air Bombardier Q400 in February. During public hearings after the crash questions were raised about pilot fatigue and training at regional airlines.

These may be small carriers worried about costs of FOQA and such, but I am sure they could afford a letter and a stamp to make a response. This unwillingness to step up without the forcing factor of goverment regulation is bad for everybody. It makes everybody worry about the commitment to safety these airlines have, and it encourages lawmakers to put forward new laws that may ultimately be uniforcable and only provide the illusion of progress.